A conventional cage system for holding small laboratory animals is typically a three piece assembly having a clear plastic bottom, a grill for holding food and water, and a lid that attaches to the bottom and holds the grill in place. Additionally, a suitable bedding material, such as cedar shavings, is added to the bottom portion of the cage assembly to absorb animal waste and spilled food.
While in use the bedding becomes soiled, thereby necessitating the need for frequent cleaning of the cages. The cleaning process requires disassembly of the cage, removal of the soiled bedding from the bottom portion, washing, and drying the cage elements. Furthermore, upon completion of the aforementioned steps, clean bedding is added to the cage.
Robotic arms are known to assist laboratory personnel with this process. Currently, after the cages are disassembled, robotic arms remove the soiled cage bottoms from a cart, invert the cage bottoms to thereby empty the contents (soiled bedding material), and place the empty/soiled cage bottoms in an appropriate position on a conveyer. The conveyer then advances the cage bottoms through a chamber or tunnel wash system, wherein the cage bottoms are cleaned by a suitable process, usually involving high pressure streaming water. Furthermore, a drying process is typically accomplished by subjecting the cleaned, yet wet cage bottoms to high velocity heated air. The other cage components, such as the grill and lid, may be cleaned in a similar manner.
Upon completion of the cleaning process, an automated device, such as an additional robotic arm, removes the cage bottoms from the conveyer and adds clean bedding. The cages are then reassembled and stacked on a cart where they may be returned to service.
Due to the extreme force of the streaming water required to clean the cage bottoms, the high velocity air required for drying, and the transfer of components between conveyers, the cage bottoms become skewed on the conveyer. The unpredictable arrangement of the skewed cage bottoms complicates automated removal of the cage bottoms from the conveyer. Robotic arms currently require the cage bottoms to be in a specific predetermined location. Because of the turbulent conditions of the process described above, the robotic arm can not efficiently remove the cage bottoms from the conveyer.
Additionally, robotic arms currently used in cage cleaning systems have bases that are fixedly mounted to the ground. Generally, the base of a first robotic arm is fixedly mounted to the ground in an area designated for receiving the soiled cage components, and the base of a second robotic arm is fixedly mounted to the ground in an area designated for removing and assembling cages that have proceeded through the cleaning process. Because the base of the robotic arm is fixedly mounted to the ground, the area serviced by the robotic arm is limited to the area about the base. Furthermore, this configuration strictly limits the positioning of equipment accessed by the robotic arm, and thereby limits options in designing cage cleaning facilities.
Therefore, what is needed in the art is a cage cleaning apparatus and method that serves to reduce the repetitive steps associated with loading and unloading cage components on tunnel type cage washing systems.
Furthermore, what is needed in the art is an apparatus and method for cleaning cages that serves to limit human exposure to potentially harmful substances.
Moreover, what is needed in the art is an apparatus and method of cleaning cages that addresses the problems associated with the handling of skewed cage bottoms exiting the tunnel wash system.
Even further, what is needed in the art is an apparatus and method for cleaning cage components that utilizes a robotic arm that is more versatile and can service a greater area.